


Drown Me in Ash, Burn Me in Salt

by Cupcakemolotov



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, F/M, Undine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 08:35:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8005918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cupcakemolotov/pseuds/Cupcakemolotov
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cursed with legs by a witch as the gods were unmade, Caroline is a relic of ancient times. Bored and lonely, her interest is peaked by the newest predators in the world - vampires. And in particular, Klaus Mikaelson, with his monsters teeth and the wolf caged in his blood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drown Me in Ash, Burn Me in Salt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CKhybrid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CKhybrid/gifts).



> This took far longer than I thought it would! I started this back for Klaroline AU Week, and now it is finally finished! A big thanks to justanotherfiveminutes, livingdeadblonequeen for their beta skills and willowaus for listening to my complaining. And for arustkykiss, its done!

_1700's - Northern Germany_

Caroline woke with a gag in her mouth. She parted her lashes and took in the cramped little cell, annoyance burning away the last of the drugs in her system. The fools. As if a _cage_ would hold her; as if she'd ever allow _mere witches_ to trap her ever again. She was going to eat these witches, and _savor_ their fear.

"Are you really a mermaid?"

Head turning, she found that she was sharing space with two other monsters. For a moment, she was surprised she'd missed their presence next to her. Power. It was there, aged in their bones and sealed with blood.

The old gods _always_ required blood.

Blinking, she tilted her head and tried to express her confusion. The girl was watching her with curious blue eyes and pretty blond hair that fit well with the rugged jaw and curly hair of the man next to her. The girl smiled slightly, a curling thing that spoke of the ruin of empires.

"That's why they gagged you," she said.

Caroline shrugged, unable and unwilling to offer more information. Mermaid was such a nonsensical word, a paintbrush that softened the monsters edge. Undine was more of the truth, but Poseidon had never expected his blood to grow their own voices, to eat so willingly his brother's creations. That she was cursed with legs and forced to walk the land had not made her less over the ages, even if she was most dangerous beneath the waves.

Now all that was left of her origins were the scattered remains of broken altars. True immortality was paid for in blood, the breaking of your enemy's spine and the taste of marrow on your tongue. The ocean was old and its secrets were vast, and they were all hers. Pushing herself into a slightly more comfortable position, she winced as the chains rubbed at her wrists. All she felt around her was earth, the cold press of man and iron.

In the end, it wouldn't hold her.

"Mermaids are impossible," the girl muttered mulishly, and the other monster laughed. Caroline eyed him with interest, and was amused when he merely returned the inspection.

"Don't mind Rebekah, love. She dislikes being wrong." His voice was low, delightfully accented, and the smile he gave her full of dimpled charm. Caroline gave him a flat look, unimpressed, and that smile widened. "I'm Klaus."

She blinked, recognizing the name.

"So you've heard of me," the delight in his eyes, that glittering arrogance, she wanted to bite. But this one also had sharp teeth, and her song never worked well against wolves. They had no ocean in their veins, only earth and fur. But the wolf she sensed was faded somehow, trapped by a complicated spell, but still there.

Instead of looking away, Caroline narrowed her eyes and held his challenging gaze. She did not bend for men, even those who felt like the electricity of an approaching storm. His gaze darkened, a warning she had no intention of heeding.

"Please stop eye-fucking," Rebekah demanded. "He's not even that worth it."

"Don't be jealous, Bekah," Klaus replied without breaking eye contact. The sound of footsteps echoing down stone floors, pulled Caroline's attention. Catching Rebekah's gaze, she winked and hunched into herself.

The witch who entered the jail was pretty, in the way of humans. Dark hair pulled gracefully into a knot, large eyes that carried her age well. She smiled as she entered the cell and Caroline had to wonder at her stupidity.

These were not beasts to be tamed.

"Ah, Jeanette," Rebekah drawled. "Attempting to add to your menagerie?"

"I see they were not wrong," Jeanette breathed, ignoring Rebekah, and soft fingertips reached out to caress the high arch of Caroline's cheekbone. "A Greek ghost."

Caroline hid her contempt, kept her eyes glassy with tears. With each slow, possessive caress against her cheek, Caroline considered all the ways she'd eat this witch. Pity they were so far inland, or she'd drag Jeanette into the crushing depths, would tangle her in seaweed and while stroking the roundness of her cheeks as she drowned over and over, blood cooling with each bite. Then later, she'd lick her bones clean.

"What is she?" Rebekah's voice cut into the room. The witch laughed, stepped back.

"Undine, a water elemental. There are so few left, I'd have expected more from her," The witch smiled with pretty dimples. "A danger to men, but safe enough for the rest of us."

As if seduction was a pretty game only for men.

"Jeanette, you play a dangerous game," Klaus warned. Caroline glanced at him, but his eyes were locked onto the witch. "Death will be a comfort when we finally allow it."

"Your mother will be here shortly," Jeanette dismissed. " _This_ is my payment."

"Oh yes, dear old mum," Rebekah drawled. "Do you think you'll hold us?"

"For two days, you've sat cozy in my little dungeon and my price has now been delivered. In a few hours, I'll be rid of you and have a power none of you could imagine."

"Dear mother's bargains never work as you'd expect," Klaus told her, amusement clear on his face. "Did she say how she planned to kill us?"

"I did not ask," Jeanette replied with a shrug. Caroline watched as her the witch's hands tremble with interest. It appeared she wasn't as immune to the threat Klaus exuded as she wanted to pretend. "Tell me, my sweet, are you hungry?"

Caroline deliberately blinked, so that two tears slid into the gag. Jeanette smiled, clearly enjoying the supposed suffering. "We will need you well fed, if tomorrow's ceremony is to work. I'll send one of the girls with a meal."

The stairwell had long gone silent before she looked towards the vampires. She felt no listening spells, no lingering magic. Two sets of blue eyes stared back at her and she blinked in question.

"Do you fake orgasms that well too?"

Caroline rolled her eyes, letting her chest move in a sigh they could hear through the gag. Klaus let out a sound of amusement, and flashed his dimples.

"We're not particularly fond of our dear mother," Klaus murmured. "I'm curious, which cult thought bringing her back through the veil was a smart decision?"

"I'm going to eat Jeanette," Rebekah replied lowly, eyes flashing.

Caroline rattled her cuffs, narrowed her eyes. Jeanette was _her_ 'd no intention of sharing.

Rebekah pursed her lips, frowning. "You're awfully loud for baitfish."

She let a touch of magic darken her gaze, glanced away dismissively as more footsteps moved down the stairs. Caroline tucked back into herself, made herself as soft and tired as she could manage.

"I need to learn that trick," Rebekah muttered.

Klaus grinned, leaned back. "You're too used to crushing empires, Bekah. Our new friend seems to be a touch more adaptable."

Caroline let her eyes close, and carefully worked the edges of her gag with the softest tendril of magic. It'd been hastily tied, and would only need a little finagling. For now, she only needed it loose, not off. She settled back, resting until the sounds of a footsteps reached her ears. Parting her lashes, she studied the witch who brought the bowl of blood. She was young, barely into her twenties and fresh faced.

"Fresh blood?" Rebekah questioned in surprise.

The little witch frowned at the vampires. "This isn't for you."

"I didn't know mermaids needed blood," Klaus said said thoughtfully.

The witch straightened, and stared at Caroline with curious eyes. "She's an Undine. They eat more than blood."

Caroline felt the gag shift, but waited for those careful hands to return to their work. She disliked iron; all that metal though could punch through skin. Another way that humans ruined perfectly good baubles. She was particular about the state of bone after she'd cleaned it, wanting perfection to carve her jewelry. This tiny little human would have made a beautiful necklace, maybe a comb.

The girl didn't notice when her gag fell away, distracted by Klaus laughter. Spitting out the cloth, Caroline smiled. "You shouldn't fear the vampires."

She did love how the witch went stiff, but the girl faced her with hard eyes and a set mouth. Poor little baby, with her false confidence and her certainty that Caroline's magic was gender based. Caroline crooned, letting the notes sink into the air, let the allure of the ocean crawl through her perfect tones. The vampires froze in surprise, but she ignored them, they weren't her prey. Keeping the tones gent soft, she let her magic dance in the air in feather light brushes. She let the rhythm and tone of her voice weave around the little witch who was moving to re-adjust her gag.

The witch's fingers stilled against the softness of Caroline's cheek, eyes slowly glazing over. Caroline knew she'd won when the tension eased from those delicate, soft shoulders. Tongue snaking out, she invited the witch closer with her smile, and watched as the girl swayed forward with a hitching breath.

"Hi," Caroline whispered, letting her voice go breathless, lashes fluttering. "I'm Caroline."

"Rose."

A little hum, another note to her song. "Can I touch you, Rose?"

A frantic little nod, and Caroline ran her tongue along her upper lip. She kept her sharp teeth hidden just a little longer. "Untie me?"

Rose's heavy lashes fluttered, glazed eyes uncertain. Caroline made a low, soothing sound and caught her gaze. "Do you have a key?"

"Yes," her voice was breathless and her clumsy fingers fumbled about in her pockets. A key appeared, and Rose went up on her toes. Soft, careful fingers brushed against Caroline's skin before the spelled shackles fell away. Caroline sighed and smoothed away Rose's dark curls, dragged her nails lightly down the sensitive skin of her nape. For a single moment, she enjoyed the shiver that ran over Rose's skin, the flush on her cheeks. She waited until Rose bared the pale arch of her throat before bending and sinking her teeth deep.

She took two mouthfuls before wrenching Rose's neck. "I want to know who told the witches about those goddamn herbs."

"So, you're more of a siren?" Klaus asked thoughtfully, head tilting as he faced her with no fear.

Caroline sighed and disentangled herself from the chains and corpse. "What is it with humans and naming things?"

"Power," Klaus murmured as she reached for his locks. "Dominion does not come easily, against the unnamed night terrors. Why are you helping us?"

"I'm bored," Caroline told him, switching to Rebekah's chains. "Your little vampire creations are amusing, even if you taste like the grave."

"Rude," Rebekah muttered. She narrowed her eyes, and Caroline arched both brows. "You're not going to try to sing us to our deaths?"

Caroline snorted, lifted her palms. "In what ocean? You're useless to me as food, and setting you free will annoy that bitch upstairs. I'm going to be pissed if she tastes like that one."

Klaus stepped into her space, and swiped the pad of his thumb across her bloody lips. Holding her gaze, he licked it clean. "Vervain."

"We're unable to compel witches," Rebekah murmured. "Who knows about your dislike vervain?"

"I'm a mythological nightmare," Caroline told them and studied Klaus with narrowed eyes. Deliberately she licked the rest of the blood from her lips, watched his pupils widened with interest. "I'm also hungry, so I'm going to go and taste test a few witches. Stay out of my way."

"Fond of a little bloodshed, love?"

Caroline laughed and headed for the stairs. "You've obviously never played with drowning sailors before; all that hope, that thrashing adrenaline as you breathe air into their lungs so you can pull them deeper, let them see the heart of what awaits them. This will be a bit boring in comparison."

She blinked as arms suddenly looped through hers, the vampires crowding on either side of her. Klaus smiled, eyes red and fangs sharp.

"No, we prefer our slaughter to linger in the walls, and along the floorboards so that anyone who comes upon the scene knows that death walked among them," he brought her hand to his mouth, kissed her knuckles.

"Caroline," Rebekah said with that crushing smile. "It was Caroline, correct? How many of those witches can you seduce with your voice?"

"All of them," she said with amusement. "But magic requires payment, and I'm already hungry. I suppose I could eat one of you, but as I said, I've no interest in your blood."

The vampire glanced at each other, something unreadable flowing between them.

"Then let's find you something more suited to your palate."

* * *

_Early 1800's - London, England_

Caroline fiddled with her bracelet, and then smiled behind the dramatic crimson streaks of her fan. She'd been complimented on her ivory accessories twice that evening, but the precious little humans didn't realize that the ivory was really human remains; she just preferred her bone scored by salt and bleached by the sun. This particular set was carved from her very first kill after she'd been cursed with legs. But luckily for the plump, giggling girls near her, tonight she was hunting something else.

Someone had killed her little vampire pet.

Huffing under her breath at the ridiculous skirts and the stink of unwashed bodies, she fanned herself carefully. Something here hunted vampires; she was going to eat it. The supernatural realm was growing, the scattered bait trails left behind by Klaus and Rebekah had passed along their malady-ridden blood, until small shadow societies started to spring up.

Particularly in London.

And something was wiping them out.

More than one creature hunted the undead, witches and werewolves being what they were. She usually just watched the chaos with amusement. But the vampire killed this time had been hers. Finding another and training it properly took time and she wasn't in the mood to expend the effort. Vampires, Caroline had discovered, were the best possible way to keep an ear out for the Original Siblings, who were now just rumor and shadow.

After slaughtering their way through that coven the night they'd met, she'd let Klaus and Rebekah talk her into a few nights of mayhem before slipping away. She wouldn't call them friends, but they were fun, and as far as she was concerned they owed her a favor. Even Undine couldn't collect payment from the dead.

"I've never seen something like you before."

Caroline turned and arched both brows at the young, surprisingly handsome man watching her. She closed her fan with a snap and considered him. There was power here - familiar power, if a little older than the last time she'd felt it. How many of these Mikaelsons had been turned?

"Nor will you," Caroline told him. "But I've seen _your_ like before."

"Interesting," the vampire said with a widening smile. "Nik and Bekah don't usually let their little menagerie roam around, and Elijah is too stuffy to let you wear bone so openly. Who are you exactly, darling?"

Caroline laughed and stepped around him. "You're cute, but I'm hardly in danger of being collected. I take it that this Hunter is stalking _you_? Been leaving behind messes? Careless of you."

"That's dear old dad, always trying to kill us."

Caroline stepped onto a balcony, hardly surprised when she was followed. Turning, she breathed deeply of the sea-salt air and considered the vampire. "Which one are you?"

"I'm Kol," he said with a dramatic bow. "Did you lure me out here to kill me? I bet I'm delicious."

"Please - if I wanted to lure you, you'd hardly be able to complain about it." She gave him her hunting smile, watched his eyes spark with amusement. "You're being hunted by more than your sire, little vampire."

Kol arched a brow. "Of course I am."

Caroline's smile shifted to amusement. "Oh, to be young and foolish. How _do_ you survive?"

"I'm a bit more difficult to kill than most," Kol shrugged, a sudden seriousness to his face. "Are you a threat?"

"I'd hardly admit to it if I was, but I find your family too amusing to wish to destroy it," Caroline murmured. "Your siblings owe me a favor, people are so much more difficult to collect from if you kill their baby brother."

"Interesting that you think I'm the youngest."

Caroline laughed and tapped him with her fan. "I'm older than you know, and you're hardly the first reckless youth I've encountered. Baby brothers have a... particular flair."

Kol smiled, hands clasping behind his back. "Well, how lucky for you that I'm here to break up the monotony of your life."

Caroline grinned, amused. "Look, little vampire, you run along and I'll deal with this Hunter. You'll find his magic won't work so well on me and until I decide what I want from your siblings, you're no good to me dead."

"What are you going to do? Distract him?" He glanced down at her figure, clucked his tongue. "You don't have the figure for it, darling."

"I'm going to eat him," she let her lips curve, eyes darkening. "But first I'm going to drown him in the pond, then take him to the ocean right over there and let him bloat, let the brine and fish tenderize the muscles and tendons, until flesh peels away in bites and I can lick the marrow from his bones."

"A bit vindictive," Kol murmured, eyes dancing. "Sounds like fun. How does one get invited to this dinner party?"

"You don't. Tell your brother and sister that I send my regards when you see them."

"Come now," Kol chided as she went to step around him. "Think of how much fun we'll have doing this together."

"Fun?"

"I'm imagining my brother's face, when he realizes I hunted with you," Kol said cheerfully. "But more importantly, do you have a tail, darling?"

An amused smile curved her lips, "Impertinent."

"Always."

She considered him, and finally shrugged. "You may assist me, with conditions."

"And those would be?"

"You will answer five questions and change one person of my choice."

Kol rocked back on his heels, gaze calculating. "Three questions."

"Done."

He blinked and then laughed. "Who irritated you so much you wish to prolonged their life?"

"A question for another time," Caroline said breezily. "I'm Caroline. How well do you swim, Kol?"

"Average, but I don't require air, so I think I'll be alright. Are we going to have sex under water?"

She clucked her tongue and slipped down a side staircase. "Hardly. Vampires taste terrible. Regardless of how talented your tongue, I've no use for it or other parts of your person."

Laughter, and then Kol looped his arm through hers. "Please, tell me you conveyed this to my siblings."

"Of course," Caroline shrugged. "But regardless, I'm hungry and you have a Hunter on your trail. Let's see if perhaps _your_ figure is lovely enough to catch his attention, shall we?"

 

* * *

_Early 1800's - London, England_

Caroline fiddled with her bracelet, and then smiled behind the dramatic crimson streaks of her fan. She'd been complimented on her ivory accessories twice that evening, but the precious little humans didn't realize that the ivory was really human remains; she just preferred her bone scored by salt and bleached by the sun. This particular set was carved from her very first kill after she'd been cursed with legs. But luckily for the plump, giggling girls near her, tonight she was hunting something else.

Someone had killed her little vampire pet.

Huffing under her breath at the ridiculous skirts and the stink of unwashed bodies, she fanned herself carefully. Something here hunted vampires; she was going to eat it. The supernatural realm was growing, the scattered bait trails left behind by Klaus and Rebekah had passed along their malady-ridden blood, until small shadow societies started to spring up.

Particularly in London.

And something was wiping them out.

More than one creature hunted the undead, witches and werewolves being what they were. She usually just watched the chaos with amusement. But the vampire killed this time had been hers. Finding another and training it properly took time and she wasn't in the mood to expend the effort. Vampires, Caroline had discovered, were the best possible way to keep an ear out for the Original Siblings, who were now just rumor and shadow.

After slaughtering their way through that coven the night they'd met, she'd let Klaus and Rebekah talk her into a few nights of mayhem before slipping away. She wouldn't call them friends, but they were fun, and as far as she was concerned they owed her a favor. Even Undine couldn't collect payment from the dead.

"I've never seen something like you before."

Caroline turned and arched both brows at the young, surprisingly handsome man watching her. She closed her fan with a snap and considered him. There was power here - familiar power, if a little older than the last time she'd felt it. How many of these Mikaelsons had been turned?

"Nor will you," Caroline told him. "But I've seen _your_ like before."

"Interesting," the vampire said with a widening smile. "Nik and Bekah don't usually let their little menagerie roam around, and Elijah is too stuffy to let you wear bone so openly. Who are you exactly, darling?"

Caroline laughed and stepped around him. "You're cute, but I'm hardly in danger of being collected. I take it that this Hunter is stalking _you_? Been leaving behind messes? Careless of you."

"That's dear old dad, always trying to kill us."

Caroline stepped onto a balcony, hardly surprised when she was followed. Turning, she breathed deeply of the sea-salt air and considered the vampire. "Which one are you?"

"I'm Kol," he said with a dramatic bow. "Did you lure me out here to kill me? I bet I'm delicious."

"Please - if I wanted to lure you, you'd hardly be able to complain about it." She gave him her hunting smile, watched his eyes spark with amusement. "You're being hunted by more than your sire, little vampire."

Kol arched a brow. "Of course I am."

Caroline's smile shifted to amusement. "Oh, to be young and foolish. How _do_ you survive?"

"I'm a bit more difficult to kill than most," Kol shrugged, a sudden seriousness to his face. "Are you a threat?"

"I'd hardly admit to it if I was, but I find your family too amusing to wish to destroy it," Caroline murmured. "Your siblings owe me a favor, people are so much more difficult to collect from if you kill their baby brother."

"Interesting that you think I'm the youngest."

Caroline laughed and tapped him with her fan. "I'm older than you know, and you're hardly the first reckless youth I've encountered. Baby brothers have a... particular flair."

Kol smiled, hands clasping behind his back. "Well, how lucky for you that I'm here to break up the monotony of your life."

Caroline grinned, amused. "Look, little vampire, you run along and I'll deal with this Hunter. You'll find his magic won't work so well on me and until I decide what I want from your siblings, you're no good to me dead."

"What are you going to do? Distract him?" He glanced down at her figure, clucked his tongue. "You don't have the figure for it, darling."

"I'm going to eat him," she let her lips curve, eyes darkening. "But first I'm going to drown him in the pond, then take him to the ocean right over there and let him bloat, let the brine and fish tenderize the muscles and tendons, until flesh peels away in bites and I can lick the marrow from his bones."

"A bit vindictive," Kol murmured, eyes dancing. "Sounds like fun. How does one get invited to this dinner party?"

"You don't. Tell your brother and sister that I send my regards when you see them."

"Come now," Kol chided as she went to step around him. "Think of how much fun we'll have doing this together."

"Fun?"

"I'm imagining my brother's face, when he realizes I hunted with you," Kol said cheerfully. "But more importantly, do you have a tail, darling?"

An amused smile curved her lips, "Impertinent."

"Always."

She considered him, and finally shrugged. "You may assist me, with conditions."

"And those would be?"

"You will answer five questions and change one person of my choice."

Kol rocked back on his heels, gaze calculating. "Three questions."

"Done."

He blinked and then laughed. "Who irritated you so much you wish to prolonged their life?"

"A question for another time," Caroline said breezily. "I'm Caroline. How well do you swim, Kol?"

"Average, but I don't require air, so I think I'll be alright. Are we going to have sex under water?"

She clucked her tongue and slipped down a side staircase. "Hardly. Vampires taste terrible. Regardless of how talented your tongue, I've no use for it or other parts of your person."

Laughter, and then Kol looped his arm through hers. "Please, tell me you conveyed this to my siblings."

"Of course," Caroline shrugged. "But regardless, I'm hungry and you have a Hunter on your trail. Let's see if perhaps _your_ figure is lovely enough to catch his attention, shall we?"

* * *

_Athens, Greece - Late 1800's_

Caroline didn't often return to Greece. Athens, in particular, she'd no use for. In the thousands of years she'd lived her memories of home had hardly faded. Standing on long familiar beaches, swimming in the Seas that had birthed her existence only served to remind her how inexplicably alone she was now, when she'd once swam with her sisters.

But Caroline had no use for weakness and those sisters who'd shared their kills, who'd torn the flesh from Aegeus' body under the shadow of the temple of Sounion deserved to be remembered. All that was left of her father's blood was piles of rock and a lone Undine's perfect memory. If she closed her eyes, these shores would echo their secrets, but the voices she missed had faded long before.

Today, the rock and water spoke of war.

"Well, if this isn't a surprise. Come to dance over the graves of the Ottomans?"

Caroline blinked and turned to find Rebekah Mikaelson watching her with curious eyes. She had not heard so much as a rumor of an Original since she parted ways with Kol, the slaughter of a cult or two still warm on her fingertips. "The shores of Greece have seen many a war, young Rebekah, the Ottomans are just the latest to lose. What are you doing in Greece?"

Blond brows arched and Rebekah sashayed towards the shoreline, bare feet stepping onto the wet sand. "Boredom. Klaus is hunting and I've no use for it."

"You're alone?" Intriguing, when the few rumors she'd collected always put Klaus and Rebekah as attached at the hip.

"Not today, but perhaps tomorrow," she murmured, reaching out to touch one of Caroline's gleaming curls. "Here I expected to find your ears threaded with bone, your skin gleaming with light and dark. Kol was most gleeful."

Caroline grinned, teeth sharp. "I enjoyed our little hunt. I'm not particularly fond of witches or their cults."

Lips pressed into a pout, Rebekah sighed and watched Caroline with sly eyes. "My brother was most jealous."

" _Just_ Klaus?"

Those pretty eyes narrowed, but Rebekah did not watch her with lust. Curiosity. Possessiveness. But no lust. Pity, as all the Mikaelsons were lovely to look at, more a pity the magic that ran under their skins. In a different life she would have tempted this girl into the warm seas and sang her death so sweetly, kept her bones safe. It had been a long time, since she'd thought to claim.

"Caroline," Klaus' voice cut through the conversation and she turned. Curls shorter than she'd seen them before, smile charming with his dimples and perfect teeth, it was the expression in his gaze that stirred her. Delight, calculation and here was lust that he wore without shame. That inexplicable draw from before remained, his magnetism gaining potency as he grew into his skin.

Such a pity his blood was useless to her.

She'd like to bite into this one.

"Klaus," she murmured as the waves licked at her ankles. "I do run into you Mikaelsons in the most interesting of places."

Those dimples deepened, as he joined them on the sand, the sun burnishing his dark blonde curls. Caroline wondered absently if they'd bleach honey if left in the sun. If salt would cover the flavor of an earthen grave.

"Your ability to disappear is maddening," Klaus returned, fingers drawn to the curls Rebekah had touched earlier. "I thought we were having such fun."

"I found her first," Rebekah complained, swatting at Klaus hand. "I get to ask the questions."

The quick, irritated glances amused her.

"And what would you ask?" She questioned, while she warned Klaus with her eyes as he continued to wind a strand of hair along his knuckles. His mouth curved, but his eyes lowered, as if fascinated by the layers of gold in the sunshine.

She let him be.

"Where to begin?" Rebekah laughed, eyes warming. "You are older than us, and we're no longer young."

"I've little use for reminiscing," Caroline said with a shrug, eyes dark. "The Seas long ago gave up their secrets and wealth. Shall I tell you of the dangers of the Forni archipelago and the ships' bones I've swum with? The remains of cities that pre-dated even my existence? The secrets of Atlantis?"

Rebekah was warmth and softness at her side, and Klaus' smile was a blade, but his eyes devoured as they trailed over her skin. The dual nature of his magic, the caged wolf, it teased her in ways she could likely be fascinated by someday.

But not today.

"I've no complaint about listening to your stories, love, of the worlds you've devoured. But I'm far more interested in your insistence on avoiding us."

"I'm _hardly_ a ghost."

He pressed close, fingertips deceptively gentle on her skin. "Yet, my baby brother finds you the most often."

"Kol always has the most delightful ideas for mayhem," Caroline let the heart of the ocean bleed into her smile, the darkness of the abyss shadow her eyes. "Do you think I fear you, Klaus? That I worry? I'm not running. I may be alone, but the waters of this world are _mine_. I'm the apex predator there."

"A pity, we cannot drown Mikael," Rebekah muttered mulishly.

"The Sea has collected the bones of those who are far worse than this Mikael, but I have no urge to sully my collection with his venom," Caroline informed them with as sniff. "Some remains cannot be cleaned even by the sun."

Unwinding her hair, Klaus ran his fingers down her throat. Her skin hummed pleasantly, and she eyed him. "We are not so easy to kill."

"I have no use for your deaths," Caroline dismissed. "You still owe me."

Laughter spilled through the air, and Rebekah looped their arms and smiled. "Do we owe you? I do not remember this."

Klaus dragged his fingertips along her arms, tracing the delicate skin along her knuckles. "Shall we negotiate, love?"

"No," Caroline said archly. "I saved you, now you owe me. What is there to discuss?"

"I'm sure we can think of something," Klaus murmured, tucking her arm through his. "Shall we, sweetheart?"

It was amusing, that they thought they could coerce her, with her feet wet with saltwater and brine. But they delighted her with their antics, and she could hardly deny that they left her curious. Caroline could be indulgent, and who knew, before this was over, maybe she'd seriously consider collecting these two after all.

If they asked nicely.

* * *

_1920's - Chicago, Illinois_

Lake Michigan wasn't her favorite, but she enjoyed Chicago. The cold, biting air and the frozen winters were a fascinating difference to the weather she usually chose to experience. She missed the smell of salt, and flesh didn't taste quite the same without that lovely brine flavor, but her new collection of bones was shaping up beautifully. She had a few more weeks before she would have to return to the sea to find the perfect offering.

And the _architecture_ of Chicago delighted her.

It wasn't the pantheons or temples, the glorious statues that depicted the gods that had created her flesh. But it was beautiful, with its strong lines and its ability to withstand the horrors of nature. Soldiers and sailors, an endless parade of those who would so sweetly follow her song as she weaved them eternity.

Monsters weren't old world nightmares anymore.

Such _easy_ prey.

She stepped inside a brightly lit bar that smelled of magic. There was a band that left her smiling as she weaved through the raucous crowd. She liked this beat. Loved how music beat in your blood now, the symphonies and faultless voices blending now with more modern instruments. Soon humans would forget how a voice could weave fate.

"You're new here."

Caroline turned to find herself looking at a vampire that smelled like blood. It clung to him, as if he'd worn it on his skin for so long it was now permanently part of his personal scent. Underneath the sweetness of iron was the heavy scent of grave magic. Vampire. "I'm passing through."

"Tell me," the vampire said softly, eyes lingering where she'd pinned her best curls. "Where does a witch come by a comb like that?"

Interesting, that this creature soaked in blood bothered with bone. Hand lifting, she skimmed her fingers along the edges and smiled. She'd carved it recently, having enjoyed this particular human's company. She hadn't wanted to forget him. Or his death.

He'd tried so valiantly to escape.

She'd played with him for hours, dragging him beneath the water and breathing air into his lungs, just to taste his fear. In the end, she curled the length of her tail around his legs and leisurely feasted while they sank into crushing depths. He'd been delicious.

"I haven't been called a witch in millennia," Caroline said with a curling smile. "And it's been longer still since I've bothered with such things as mere _human_ magic."

A sudden tingling down her spine, and Caroline turned her head to blink in surprise at Klaus Mikaelson. She'd left him in Greece, far more tempted by his smile and what he carried in his bones than she'd anticipated. Seeing him now, simple cutting deep with eyes that wanted, she was reminded of the draw between them.

Nearly two hundred years had not blunted his impact. Klaus' hair was slicked back, and the suit he wore fit along the lines of him perfectly. She ignored the vampire next to her, head tilting as Klaus smiled slow and wicked, interest heating along her bones.

He looked delectable.

This time, she went to him.

Snatching his glass, she sipped at the amber liquid, considering as she swallowed. "Not bad."

Those dimples deepened. "This is a delightful surprise, sweetheart. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was bored," Caroline said carelessly. "Spent some time offshore, but you can really only drown so many people until it's time to find new hunting grounds."

"It is unkind to tease, Caroline," Klaus chided as he refilled their shared glass from the bottle that sat near his elbow. "When you continue to deny me the pleasure of seeing you in your preferred habitat."

She offered him the glass she held and he took a sip without taking the tumbler. "All there is to see is death."

"Oh, I hope so," he murmured. Before she could respond, pulse unexpectedly quick, the vampire from earlier cut into their bubble.

"Klaus, did you know she has bone in her hair?"

Caroline glanced over and sighed in distaste. "He smells of slaughter."

"Stefan is a ripper, love. A bit unpredictable with his rage and his thirst. Stefan, this is Caroline. She's _mine_."

Both brows arched. "I should drown you on principle."

"You can't drown a vampire, sweetheart; I've studied it quite thoroughly."

"Plan to swim with the fishes, then?"

Klaus smiled at her, with wicked dimples and eyes that heated her skin. "I've only interest in one."

"I'm hardly cold blooded," she dismissed, voice a touch breathless.

"I'd be delighted to study that extensively," Klaus said with the faintest touch of gravel in his tone. His gaze bled black, dragging along her face. "How shall I tempt you?"

A drunk, excited body crashed into her side. Blond hair and a familiar, delighted laugh told her who her assailant was before she could even tense. Caroline smiled, because she found Rebekah delightful, and she'd wondered where Klaus' constant companion had hidden herself.

"Caroline! Come dance with me!"

"Rebekah dear, you're _drunk_."

Eyes bright, Rebekah swiped the glass from Caroline's hand and drained it. "Of course I am. Do you know these dances? Shall I teach you?"

A possessive arm slid around her waist. Caroline allowed herself to be tugged back, for the press of Klaus to warm her spine. "Why don't you dance with Stefan, Bekah?"

Those blue eyes narrowed dangerously, lips compressing and as amusing as it was to watch the siblings bicker like children, Caroline wasn't in the mood. She'd seen Rebekah's fits, had enjoyed coaxing her out of her temper, and handing her the beating heart of a idiot suitor with a sigh. But this bar had witches' magic in it. No slaughter tonight.

Reaching up, she tugged a comb free and slid it into Rebekah's hair. "Here. A present."

Rebekah froze, hand flying up. The temper left her gaze, fingers touching bone delicately. Those pretty blue eyes were wide.

"I carved it myself," Caroline said lazily, tracing the tips of her fingers along the back of Klaus hand. "So don't lose it. I liked that death."

"She'll be insufferable now," Klaus rumbled in her ear as Stefan tugged Rebekah away. "She's coveted your collection for years."

"I happen to like your sister," Caroline told him haughtily. "She's fun. I've no interest in that thing she's playing with, but if he hurts her, I'll leave his bones somewhere ugly."

He shook softly with laughter. "A terrible fate."

She turned, brushing her now loose curls away from her face. "Of course it is."

"Tell me, Caroline," Klaus asked lowly, gaze warm. "Will you dance with _me_?"

She glanced up at him through her lashes, arched a brow. "I'm not sure I know this particular dance."

"Well now, that's easy enough to fix."

Dancing with Klaus was _fun_. Laughing, Caroline let him meld them to the music as he coaxed her through the steps, until she was breathless. His gaze never left her face, this child who'd almost seen a single millennia and who ate the world in gulping bites. He watched her as if she were the sea.

She lost track of time, against his body and beneath his hands. It wasn't the same, as the tug and pull of the ocean, but with each press of body against hers, she loved it just the same. What was it about this human turned monster that tempted her?

The music finally died slowly, that hour late. Yet she didn't move, staring at him with serious eyes. Caroline reached up and ran her thumb across his full lips and then deliberately licked his taste from her skin. The grave, but that curious hint of life. The wolf in his bones was a temptation, but it wasn't quite enough. "You make me wonder how you'd move in the water."

His eyes flared, cheekbones sharpening. "Do I? I'll settle for a bed."

"What you're looking for is dangerous," she warned. "I leave behind nothing but salt and bone."

"I'm not so easy to devour, love."

Caroline pursed her lips, and traced a vein in his neck. "You might change your mind, should I wrap my lips around your cock."

His throat moved, but the iron in his eyes didn't fade. "I'm far more interested what it takes to make you beg."

She liked that promise. The hint of darkness in his voice. Smile curling the edges of her mouth, she stepped back and ran her tongue along her upper lip. Just to watch his pupils widen. "I'll think about it."

* * *

_Mystic Falls - 2011_

For nearly three millennia she'd walked this earth. Before that, she'd lived in the darkness of the seas. Humans with their petty grievances and unnecessary squalor amused her.

 _Rarely_ , did she lose her _temper_.

"Tell me Stefan," Caroline breathed as she twisted her fingers around his intestines, smile razor sharp. "How does _betrayal_ _feel_?"

He was only able to gurgle, throat still healing from her claws. His blood no longer ran in rivulets down the column of his throat. She bent and licked at the path, letting the points of her teeth dig in for a deeper bite. Stefan tried to scream, his body jerking with agony but the song she'd sung him, the notes of her magic that still sparked in the air kept his mind from disengaging.

 _Oh,_ how she was going to drag out this death.

They'd caged her. They would regret that. The barrier spell wouldn't hold her for much longer and then she'd hunt everyone they'd ever met. She'd leave Stefan in a pile of bones to be forgotten, to yellow in the ash and salt she'd leave behind. To _rot_ next to the burned out husk they'd left of Kol. Rage turned her magic jagged, and the song she'd woven dug into Stefan's skin with hooks of salt and brine.

In a matter of days, Mystic Falls would be a nightmare and then _nothing_.

Just salt and ash.

Forgotten. Erased from history.

"I'm going to find that pretty little vampire, the one who stabbed him and her suffering will last eons," Caroline whispered as she lifted her head. "Then I'll lick the witches' bones clean of marrow, wrap your brother's body in kelp and drown him over and over, until his lungs are salt scored and his blood brine. I'll feed him to the seas, to be trapped under waves as a _ghost_ , who'll _never_ find _peace_. But first Stefan, I'm going to destroy you so slowly."

Stefan's eyes were wild, mind clearly scrambling to process the monster who'd so easily overpowered him. In her rage, the only parts of her that were still human were her legs. Her sharply pointed teeth, the cut of her cheekbones, and iridescent skin would be alarming, but she knew the true horror was her eyes. Wide, without pupil, they reflected the ocean in all her colors, and beneath the blue and greens was the _abyss_.

Smiling against Stefan's lips, she looped his intestine around his throat. "Once, they called me a sea witch. Do you know why?"

She broke of a rib, pinned him bloody and ruined to the wall. Lifting dripping hands, she cupped his face and smiled with all her fury. "Because I'm _magic_."

Three days ago, Caroline had received a surprise text from Kol.

The last sixty or so years had been spent around the Baltic Sea. She'd spent some of that time hunting witches, meandering from place to place with no real destination in mind. Occasionally, Kol or Rebekah would reach out with an interesting lead, but neither had tried to do more than send the occasional note. Smart. Her temper was rarely pricked, but Klaus had managed it.

It _still_ left her furious if she thought too hard regarding Klaus' penchant for daggering his siblings. _Caging them_. It hadn't soothed her temper, that Klaus had undaggered Kol a few years after their very public altercation. The very last thing she'd allow was for anyone to even imagine that she would be locked up, that she could be trapped. She'd left Klaus' at Gloria's, dripping from the drink she'd thrown in his furious face; then she'd had her first nightmare in a millennium.

Those old memories of waking cold and chained, the glory of her scales traded for human _legs_. Caroline had been weak, hungry, and _so alone_ she'd ached with it. The music of the sea, the laughter of her sisters had been silenced. But worse was how her bones and magic felt _wrong_.

How it was no longer quite hers.

It wasn't until later, that the witch had appeared. Had delighted in her misery. Had fed her tiny, bloody morsels, to keep her starved but alive, until Caroline could count her own ribs.

"Such a pretty little fish you are," the witch murmured. "I saw you with my niece, all these months you courted her. Did you plan to add her to your collection? Give her fins so that she could swim? Steal her magic?"

Stubborn, she refused to answer. What the witch spoke of was impossible. She had no use for a mere human girl and human magic was useless beneath the waves. The niece had been a friend, had exchanged knowledge, for even those under the water had sensed the changes in magic.

Now the gods were gone. Destroyed by their own hubris. Her sisters' voices had been silent, and Caroline had been fished by this witch from the shallows and cursed with legs.

"Overnight, the world has changed. But I still have you - you who carry the blood of a now dead god in your veins. Do you like your pretty legs?" The witch had traced her ankle and smiled. "They tie you to land, to me, as surely as your blood binds you to the seas; you'll never escape this curse. Oh, don't glare with such angry eyes. As long as my spell clings to you, and I've made sure it will dig itself into your very bones, you'll live. I've saved you. The ocean, it'll demand blood should you return. Best that you stay nice and dry, with me."

Hissing, she yanked on her chains and the witch laughed. "That pretty voice, that immortality gifted by Poseidon himself? I'll siphon that off and no one will be wiser. Welcome to eternity, little fish. I've been blessed."

Caroline had feasted on her for her _years_.

She _hated_ cages.

She was willing to admit her rage at Klaus was partly because she considered Kol _hers_ and partly because she'd never been so drawn to another monster. But then Klaus locked something that she'd decided belonged to her away in a coffin, and it infuriated her. It wasn't rational, her anger. He owed her nothing. She owed him nothing. That he had stuffed her favorite into a box to 'keep him safe' should have meant _nothing_.

That she had debated breaking her rule for him, of letting him tempt her to ignore the undertones of the grave in his scent, his taste...

Even more infuriating was that every few years, when she returned to her current home there would be a gift waiting for her. Old things. Ropes of pearls, beautifully etched cameos and sketches. An endless offering of sketches. Sometimes of her. But always of water.

She kept them. These small curiosities. The insight into Klaus, how he saw her. She wondered how he'd react, to seeing her true face?

Caroline still hadn't figured out how Klaus kept finding her. So she'd spent several decades eating curly haired, dimpled sailors in retaliation. She had quite a collection of skulls.

She was utterly, completely bored.

Then Kol texted her.

 _Apparently we missed one_. _Silas is making a play for freedom. Mystic Falls, Virginia._

Caroline had seen magic change many times; the creation of the other side was hardly the first time the world had shifted. But balance was a construct that had existed long before vampires and werewolves, long before the greek gods and their pantheons. The ocean, with all her shades, was _always_ in balance.

Silas only cared for himself and what Silas wanted. Irritated, because they'd put some serious effort into erasing Silas from existence, she'd packed a bag.

How unfortunate for these fools that they'd chosen to kill Kol. That'd they'd sided with a selfish witch, who'd been outsmarted by his ex-lover. Now, this little gang of would-be-heroes had made her their enemy. They'd left her trapped in this house, _caged her_ , with the burnt flesh of Kol's remains, and the ripper had thought to _taunt_ her for information.

"What are you?" Stefan managed as she slicked her hands through her blood soaked curls. His throat had healed enough for sound and she considered the pale column wrapped in a lovely necklace, thought about ripping it out again.

"Undine."

Caroline turned and bared her teeth at the vampire standing in the doorway with his eyes bleeding gold. _Klaus_. It'd been decades since Chicago, but the impact of him hadn't changed. Magnetic and feral, but underneath the familiarity of him, he didn't smell right. The grave was missing from his scent, even as black veins crawled into his eyes. Temper mingled with curiosity, and she narrowed her gaze in warning.

Klaus never took his eyes from her. "She's _Undine_ , mate. Hello, Caroline."

She tossed her hair, the clatter of bone beads and the sharp points of her earnings visible. The fact that she was almost as bloody as Stefan didn't seem to bother him, the line his gaze burned along her body was covetous. It was too bad she was still pissed at him.

"Go away," Caroline said. "Stefan's death is _mine_."

His lips curled away from his teeth, and the surprising sight of double fangs almost pulled her out of her rage. Those were _new_. "He killed _my_ brother."

She hissed, and Stefan screamed as the sound dug into his skin, twisted those ropes tighter around his neck. "They _caged_ _me_."

Klaus canted his head and deliberately stepped through the barrier. Moved into the trap. Her eyes narrowed, and her magic pushed against his skin, but whatever had changed him felt different. _New_. Life ran in his veins instead of death.

"Did they?" He murmured as he paced closer. Klaus lifted his hand as if to touch her sharply angled cheekbone, but she showed her teeth and instead, he smiled. "You're beautiful."

Caroline blinked.

That smile widened and he did touch her, fingers brushing skin that wasn't human. He skimmed along the colors, the roughness of scales turned mostly to flesh with greedy eyes. "Look at how lovely you are; why hide this for three hundred years, love?"

The want in his eyes was familiar and a reminder that she was _mad_ at him. Snarling, she twisted and shoved her claws into Stefan's chest. She ignored Klaus saying her name sharply, with lips stretching in a hunting smile, Caroline sang.

She sang of death and breaking. She sang of crushing depths. She weaved her voice until the room shook, until Stefan's spine arched in agony and the witch's barrier spell shattered. She felt the punch of magic, fed it Stefan's blood, but it wasn't enough. It pulled at her sea magic, until her flesh was completely human and her monster buried beneath spells and glamor that tied her so tightly to land.

Removing human fingers from Stefan's chest, she panted heavily. After a moment, Caroline tossed her bloody hair and looked at Klaus' face. He was rigid, pupils wide, the scent of his arousal heavy between them. Eyes rolling, she sighed. "He's alive."

The spell would have taken less from her, had she killed him. But Klaus and Rebekah deserved their chance to exact vengeance as well. But the witch was _hers_.

"Is he?" Klaus drawled, eyes raking her skin. "How unfortunate for him."

"Yes," Caroline said. The pit behind Klaus' gaze promised an eon of suffering. "But now I'm _hungry_."

She went to step around him, but he intercept led her. Angling her chin, she glared at him from beneath her lashes. "Move."

His dimples caught as he smiled. "Still mad then, love?"

"I don't like cages," Caroline said coolly. "Kol was one of mine."

His gaze darkened with jealousy and possessiveness, but it was the rage she liked. Listening to Stefan groan, watching the blue of Klaus' eyes shift to gold, her curiosity was stirred in ways she hadn't felt in centuries. For a moment, she let go of her rage and touched just beneath his mouth, studied his face.

"You've changed."

Triumph brightened his eyes, and his mouth curled in a way she wanted to chase with her tongue. "Yes."

"Monsters like you do not _simply_ change, Klaus Mikaelson."

"Mikael and Esther are dead. My curse is broken," Klaus said. Wild, full of gleeful triumph he bent close to her face and smiled. "My wolf is mine again."

Caroline breathed deep, and confusion bunched her brows. "You do not smell like wolf or the grave."

His eyes flared. "And what do I smell like, Caroline?"

Delicious. _New_. Something she'd never had on her tongue but she wanted to try. The change of his posture, the pit that opened behind his eyes, said he saw all of it on her face. She stepped around him before he could touch her again, heading for the door. "Why murder Kol?"

"Caroline."

She glanced over her shoulder, tried not to react to the burning of his gaze. "What?"

Amusement softened the line of his mouth and he stepped next to her, hands clasping behind his back. "Shall we store Stefan for you in any particular way, love?"

Caroline stopped walking and stared at him. He didn't flinch away, looking far too pleased with himself and she narrowed her eyes. "You knew Kol was dead. Yet, Stefan is alive?"

"I felt him die," Klaus said softly, voice a blade. His expression was lethal, and her fingertips itched to touch the violence on his face. "I have not yet begun to have my vengeance, love. You were a surprise."

"You will explain how you track me," she said imperiously. Her eyes returned to where Stefan was struggling to loosen his insides from around his neck so he could heal. Klaus hadn't known she was coming here, and she'd beaten him to this trap. Wasn't that an interesting piece of information. "Why kill Kol?"

Klaus followed her gaze. "We'll know the details shortly."

Lips pursed, she eyed him. "I need food if you expect magic from me."

"That's alright, sweetheart," he murmured. "Stefan will have bled the vervain out of his system by now. My hybrids will bring him along. Then he'll tell me all his secrets."

The rage was there, behind his gaze, and she'd no doubt Stefan would suffer long before Klaus compelled him. Caroline tilted her head, considered all the things he hadn't said. He'd broken his curse. What was a hybrid? How did he compel vampires? Curiosity burned through her and the way Klaus just watched her said that he knew it. New things were rare, when you'd walked the world as long as she had; now, she had not only a puzzle, but an _answer_.

"And where will they be taking him _to_?"

"I have a home, near here. I imagine we can find something to tempt your palate there, if you'd care to join me?"

"Don't be smug," she warned as she turned. "I'm hungry. You have food. I have questions you will answer, Klaus. Or I will find and destroy Silas without you."

"Far be it from me to leave you unsatisfied, Caroline," Klaus murmured.

Oh, she hoped not.

Because for the first time in three hundred years, Caroline wondered what Klaus would taste like.

* * *

Caroline liked the indoor pool.

She'd rolled up the bloodstained jeans she hadn't bothered to change before sitting on the edge of the pool to drag her legs into the water. There were wide, gorgeous windows that showed off the garden and grounds while providing an abundance of sunshine.

The heavy, damp air smelled faintly of chlorine and she breathed deep with a smile. Kicking lightly, she contemplated the information she'd been given and considered what she wanted to do about it.

Silas would rise.

Caroline doubted they'd be able to halt that, after Kol's death. The Doppelganger and her friends had enough of a head start and a Hunter. That was fine. She had no particular attachment to the veil, but the narrow eyed, tight-jawed fury from her favorite vampires told her that Mikael and Esther returning was a concern.

But the veil falling… now that did open a handful of opportunities. Tilting her head back, Caroline studied the ceiling and considered. How many years had it been, since magic was freely given? Some days she felt so old.

Maybe that was why she favored Kol.

But revenge aside, what did she want? Rebekah was amusing, as was Kol, both blood soaked entertainment that broke up the ennui from her millennia. She was inordinately fond of them.

But Klaus…

Licking her lips, Caroline thought of the hybrid. He was fascinating, a mix of things that shouldn't exist; like an Undine cursed with legs. For one thousand years Klaus had been hunted, he'd left behind numerous bodies, and war sat in his bones like marrow. Was this the balance to the monster in her bones, an echo of the magic that trapped and freed her so painfully? Earth and Water, the grave and a god's living offspring?

Klaus had triumphed, where others had broken, and for three hundred years, he'd hunted her with _want_ in his eyes. Yet not once had he tried to trap her, his temptations flavored by grave magic she found so distasteful.

But now...

She was still angry about the cages, but he'd shown her his grief and rage for Kol, and she'd heard his ruthless interrogation of Stefan. She didn't approve, had never felt fear for another creature in her life, but she could move past it.

If she choose to.

"I wondered how long it would be before you ended up here."

That soft, dangerously mild voice left her _aware_. A curious thing, this reaction he never failed to create in her. She, who was a weapon before a woman, who'd learned of intimacy ages after she'd been taught the art of death; after she survived the loss of everything dear and been barred from the seas she so loved.

This hybrid felt good against her skin.

"I could hear it," she told him with a shrug, kicking one foot to splash. "I like pools. A lover of mine had one once. It was so lovely when it ran red underneath the afternoon sun. The human body tries so _hard_ to survive."

Klaus laughed softly as he walked over. A moment later, he'd settled next to her, but he didn't touch the water. "I've always enjoyed your particular thirst for blood."

She considered him through the fall of of her hair. "Finished destroying Stefan?"

"Stefan's suffering has just started," Klaus said easily, a flicker of something old and dangerous in his eyes. A child no longer, this monster. She liked it.

"Good." Caroline murmured, tongue flicking across her lips. What would it be like, to spend an eternity with someone after an endless time alone? Lips curving, she leaned towards him with glittering eyes. "Tell me Klaus, how well do vampires recover from fire?"

Brows arching, Klaus tilted his head. "As long as the heart isn't destroyed, they'll regenerate. Eventually."

She hummed, and skimmed one fingertip down the length of his arm. The Henley covered his flesh, but she liked the feel of him anyway. Klaus had always been pleasing to look at, the slender lines of him far more tempting than a larger man. That he so casually housed that brutal strength in such lean muscles _appealed_ to her.

"I'm not particularly fond of fire, it's a bit messy; all that ash. And burnt flesh smells and tastes rancid. But I've picked a few things up over the years, including a particular recipe for Greek fire."

"The Byzantine recipe was a secret," Klaus said slowly. That quick intelligence she admired bright in his gaze. "Kol in particular, spent a fair number of years attempting to replicate it."

She smiled at him, at the curiosity and delight in his eyes. Wondered how he'd react to her next few words, anticipating it. "I'm all for drowning your enemy, but it was rude, to send all that charred flesh and seared bone to the depths. Ruined perfectly good meals. It was fun, listening to your brother complain; you know he never once asked me if I knew it?"

His gaze sharpened, chin tilting so that they were nearly touching, his breath warm on her face. "Rarely do you share such information freely, Caroline."

"I'm feeling indulgent today," she murmured.

"Are you?" Klaus question, reaching to run the pads of his fingers down her cheek. "Tell me, sweetheart, was Chicago also an indulgence?"

"Chicago was an _amusement_ ," she drawled, unconcerned by the flare of gold in his gaze. Thoughtfully, she traced his features. "Why continue to hunt me, Klaus? I'm not one of your easily disposed of lovers, and regardless of this supposed immorality, I've discovered few things truly survive at the bottom of the abyss. Yet, you continue this pursuit."

"I am not so easily killed," Klaus said lowly, eyes filled with iron. "Caroline, why are _you_ here, love?"

Caroline pulled her feet out of the water, ignoring the tense set of Klaus' shoulders. She smiled as she pushed her hair away from her face. "I've decided to kill Silas."

"Benevolent of you."

Caroline laughed at the edge in his voice, and ran her hands down his chest. She smiled at the rigid way he held himself, the slow growing pit behind his eyes. "Hardly. I'll also need Kol's body. When the veil drops, magic will be chaotic and Silas has enough magic in his blood that restoring your brother should be possible, if the seas are willing."

Klaus caught her hands in an iron grip. "What are you saying?"

"I've decided."

"Have you?" He murmured, eyes glittering. "And what have you decided?"

"If you betray me, I will erase you and your kind from existence," Caroline told him imperiously. "You will be forgotten and lost to the ages, an insignificant footnote to the history of magic."

Teeth and dual monsters gleamed from his face. "You're welcome to try, love."

"As long as you _understand_ ," Caroline told human's she smiled, the ocean filling her gaze. "I've decided to collect you after all."

She kissed him.

Licked along the lips that had tempted her for far longer than anything touched by the grave should, bit with blunt teeth until she tasted sweet iron. Moaned, when Klaus' mouth opened beneath hers. She pushed him back when his grip loosened, followed him down to straddle his chest as she chased his mouth.

The flavor of his blood on his tongue.

His hands crawled into her hair, to wind in bloody curls as she tried to lift her head. A quick flash of something she couldn't read in his eyes, and she found herself flat on her back, his mouth on her neck. Arching, she moaned as the scarp of teeth and the hot glide of his tongue. His hands slipped free of her hair and glided down her shoulders.

"I think you'll find I'm hardly passive," Klaus said as he shredded the bloody remains of her shirt. She hissed, and he smiled with sin in his eyes, catching her hands when she went to move. Deliberately, he perused her body, tongue snaking out to wet his lips before his gaze returned to hers. "I've pictured you like this for centuries, wondered how you'd taste on my tongue, look in my bed."

Caroline sighed and stared at him in aggravation. "You were hardly a temptation with all that grave magic in your blood."

Triumph turned his gaze brilliant. "Now that's hardly true, is it, love? You wanted me in Chicago. I could smell it, every time I touched you. But I truly tempt you now, don't I? I should tell you, love, that I'm not particularly fond of sharing. If you wish to collect me, you should expect to collect _only_ me."

She managed to hook one thigh around his waist, and pressed her hips flush against his. Klaus' lashes fluttered, but his gaze never left hers and she smiled. Caroline leaned back, and threw her arms above her head and arched, just to watch the strain as his gaze stayed on hers. "I'm far too particular to want anything inferior. If you want to be mine, just mine, then show me you're worth it. Because if you're mine, your eternity is _mine_. I will keep you as you are or your bones, it matters not; there is no escape."

The gold and black of his eyes, that pit of want and greed darkened his gaze - turned his eyes potent and feral. His head dipped, nose running a line up her sternum, lips lingering at the hollow of her throat before skimming upwards to delicately brush her chin. "Oh, sweetheart, what fun we'll have."

Siding her other leg around his waist, she pulled him back down to her mouth. Sharp fangs scraped along her mouth and she slid her hands into his hair, arching into the press of him as he shuddered at that first taste of her. His eyes were wild, lips wet and bloody as he pulled back. Caroline smiled as he watched the blood well and slip down her chin.

"I've been told I'm delicious."

The gold streaks in his eyes widened, and Klaus bent and licked at the bloody rivulet until the wound healed. "I want more."

She hummed in agreement. "You should taste me after I've come."

Those glorious eyes flared and she gasped as he stood, lifting her easily with him as he rose. Hand digging into her arse, he kissed her hard and quick. "I'd be delighted."

The world blurred, as he flashed them through the house. Unexpected laughter burbled in her throat and she smoothed his beard as they stopped moving, teeth catching his lower lip until _she_ tasted blood.

Klaus didn't give her a chance to do much, dropping her onto his mattress. Caroline made a noise of complaint that turned into a whine as he ripped away her ruined pants and underwear, licking where she was dripping. Throat arching, she gripped the sheets and gasped as he glanced up at her; tongue lightly flicking across her clit.

"Do Undine beg, Caroline?"

"Depends," she said roughly. "How good is your tongue?"

His lips curled at the edges and her pulse skipped, muscles clenching in anticipation. "I might know a trick or two."

"Odds are I've experienced any trick you have."

Challenge brightened his eyes and his dimples cut deep. "Well, let's see if I can impress you with the execution, hmm?"

And _oh_ , how he used his tongue.

Hot strokes, gentle sucks and flicks, the hint of fang. Klaus held her hips easily, and she didn't bother smothering her own cries. Spine arching at a particular glorious kiss against her clit, she groaned heavily as he slid two fingers inside her. She hissed when he moved his mouth away from her, his eyes so dark.

Veins stark beneath Klaus' gaze, he turned and sank his fangs into her thigh as his thumb pressed roughly against her clit. She came loudly, voice high as her spine arched. He shuddered, fingers faltering as he took that first mouthful. She forgave him, because that had been a good orgasm, and the feel of him pulling at her thigh was a sensation she _liked_.

"That's enough," she said after a moment, pulling his head away and ignoring the way the wound bled. It'd close over soon enough. Klaus was breathing hard, pupils blown, and she flipped him easily. He groaned, as she tugged at his curls and bit his throat harshly.

" _Caroline_."

Her name was a curse, and she did it again. "My turn. You got your meal, now I want mine."

Another shudder, and she slipped her hand deliberately down to squeeze his cock. "Shall I sing for you, Klaus? Do you want my magic against your skin as well as my tongue?"

"Take off your shirt."

She smiled at his rough demand, all dimples and blunt teeth. Pulled the rest of her clothes off lazily, she sat up to shake her hair across her shoulders. Lowering her gaze, she gripped his hem and slowly pushed it up, humming lightly as she took in each bit of skin, the hard lines of muscle. Softly, _so softly_ , she breathed out each note she wanted before bending her head and licking across his abs. His muscles were tense and she scraped lightly with her teeth.

"Caroline…"

She looked up to absorb the tightness of his jaw, the way his chest heaved, shirt rucked up. Still holding his gaze, she broke the button on his jeans and the zipper followed shortly after. Her hand slipped beneath his underwear and cupped him and the cords in his throat tightened. "I want you out of these pants."

Klaus sat up and helped her shuck them. She pushed him back down, fingers sliding around his erection and he jolted beneath her. Running her tongue along her upper lip, she kissed a slow path down his chest, singing softly as she moved. Her song wasn't for entrapment, but temptation and anticipation, the slow stroke of nerves.

When Caroline took his cock in her mouth, his bitten off words were profane. This time, _she_ pinned _him_ to the bed, her mouth teasing him. The magic of the notes of her song lingered in the air and plucked at his nerves. She swallowed him down, as he came with a snarl, licking her lips clean as he shivered beneath her. She smiled as he parted his lashes, at the burning behind his eyes.

"I can be generous," she murmured lowly. She paused as his cock stirred beneath her, and his slow smile had her pulse jumping. In the next moment, Caroline found herself flat on her back, Klaus watching her with the predator clear in his eyes.

"So can I, sweetheart," he murmured roughly before sheathing himself with one thrust. She groaned, neck arching as he filled her. "I want to see your eyes, Caroline."

She stilled, chest moving with her panted breaths as she looked at him. "My monster is not yours, Klaus. The magic that binds me demands blood; the ages I've seen are not for the weak."

He rotated his hips, hand sliding up her abdomen to toy with her nipple. She shivered, as the sensations, muscles fluttering and he leaned in close, double fangs sharp against his lips. "I'm not threatened by your magic, love. Your oceans don't frighten me. I want what lives beneath your skin, what sits in your bones. I want _you_. Let me see you."

Legs curling tightly against his waist, Caroline called her magic and let him. Let him see the endless depth of her eyes unbroken by even a pupil; the wild colors of the ocean ever changing in her gaze. The edges of her teeth sharpened, the texture of her flesh roughened and the blood flecked curls lengthened, the rough edge of bone she wore in her ears visible now to his eyes. This far from the ocean, her magic was limited, but as she took a deep breath and filtered through the heavy scents he wore on his skin, she ran her tongue across her lips. He smelled of arousal and blood, the sticky scent of fear absent.

"So utterly lovely."

Caroline laughed and dragged one sharply tipped finger down his throat. "Most men find themselves mad, looking at what I am. Rarely, do they find me beautiful."

Tilting his head, Klaus caught her mouth with his, ran his tongue along her teeth until he bleed. She made a pleased noise, tightening around his cock, fisting her hands in his air to get a deeper taste. The sharp edges of her nails bit into his scalp, and he echoed her groan, hips thrusting roughly against her and she pulled back with bloody teeth.

"Fools," he said roughly, palming her breast. " _Look_ at you."

She smile at him with the same greed that reflected back at her. A flex of her legs, and Caroline rose above him, hair a wild tangle of blood and bone. Digging her nails into his chest, she leaned back and rode him, chasing that glorious edge as he watched with feral eyes.

"I'm going to come just like this," Caroline told him, voice low and rough as she skimmed one hand down the flat plane of her abdomen. "Then I'll let you revisit this idea of _begging_."

They ruined the sheets. Later, as the sea magic faded from her eyes and her skin, she let him coax her into the expanse of his shower and took him against the wall, until he pressed her against the tile and drove her back into madness. Clean and sated, they curled in the remains of his bedding. Caroline sprawled across his chest, letting her skin mark his.

"I need Silas alive."

Klaus stirred beneath her, fingers pausing in their path through her still damp curls. She made a noise of warning, and he continued the motions, the gentle tugs relaxing her. "Oh?

Lifting her head, Caroline canted her head. "What do you know of sea witches?"

Eyes narrowing, Klaus wound her hair around his knuckles. "I've not heard of such things except in the oldest of rumor, love."

"The Greek called us sirens, Poseidon called us children. We called ourselves Undine, but others… others called us _witch_." Her lips edged upwards viciously, eyes glittering. "The witch who plucked me from the water at the unmaking, who cursed me with these legs, she thought to harness my power for herself. But magic changes at her own whim, and what the witch wanted from me only the ocean could grant since there were no gods to hear her plea."

"What does that mean, Caroline?"

"When I was cursed, I was barred from the seas." Her words were bladed, anger darkening her eyes. "The unmaking allowed it and blood granted my return. I will never be caged again, by land or sea, by _anyone_. Silas is like me. He is from a time before this shift of magic. Qetsiyah did more than just create the other side, she fundamentally changed how magic is used. Whereas I bleed and feast on death, witches now avoid that pesky little detail through ancestral magic and their precious spirits."

"The other side will fall if Silas is resurrected."

"A mere blip," Caroline dismissed. "I'm sure the Bennett witch could restore it in exchange for a quicker death than she deserves."

Fingers stroking down her cheek, Klaus studied her. "What are you suggesting."

She bent and kissed his chest, eyes lifting back to his gaze. "Bring me Silas, alive, and I will give you back your brother."

Klaus went still beneath her. "That simple?"

"Magic will be chaotic, and that is when _my_ magic works best," Caroline said serenely. "He will wear something of me beneath his skin, he will be mine, but Kol will live. All I need is Kol's body and Silas."

"If we do this," Klaus said softly, eyes calculating, "what does it mean for you?"

She laughed, and shifted to kiss him. "I told you, Klaus Mikaelson, you are _mine_ and I can be generous. Besides, I happen to like Kol and when I carve my rage into the bones of those who killed him, he should have the opportunity to watch."

Klaus rolled them, cupping her face with both hands. "Do not betray me, Caroline."

Sliding one leg against his waist, she dragged her human nails down his scruff. "I will not betray you, Klaus, as long as you do not betray me. If you do, I will wrought such horrors on you that the last thousand years of running will seem a daydream."

He bit her lip with sharp teeth and lifted his head with a predator's smile. "As long as you understand."

* * *

_South Pacific Ocean, near Bora Bora_

Klaus slipped his hands into his pockets and studied the endless blue and green waters around the private island Caroline had given them the coordinates to. So close to Bora Bora, with its pristine waters and coral reefs, the lagoon a draw for both human and ocean life. He could see her hunting here, his pretty sunshine monster who carried an endless darkness in her eyes.

"Well, who knew Undine preferred tourist traps," Rebekah mused as she adjusted her sunglasses. They'd arrived that morning, carting along their little entourage. Now, the first blush of sunset turned the water brilliant. "I'd have thought better of her."

"She's been here far longer than the tourist industry, Bekah." His lips curled upwards, remembering Caroline's exasperated complaint about people, the way her nose had scrunched in displeasure.

How exactly he'd coaxed away her grumpiness.

"Elijah has been here for three days," Rebekah said. "Kol's body vanished this morning, and he saw no sign of Caroline."

Ah yes, Elijah. He'd arrived early to oversee preparations of Caroline's home for their guests. Even though few would live to see dawn. The oldest of them had yet to meet Caroline, and wary of her involvement.

"You trust this Undine?" Elijah asked, voice uneasy when Klaus called him a month ago to enlist him in their plan. "She could be using you."

Klaus had no doubt that there was something in this for Caroline, regardless of her claims of generosity. But she'd been honest, in her rage at Kol's murder. And Caroline had never bothered to fabricate since truth served her so well.

And Caroline had made her claim of him known. In the month since Klaus had started his hunt, he'd felt her magic lingering. The closer he stood to the ocean, the stronger that faint tug.

 _Mine_ , it whispered.

Such a possessive little thing.

"Find Katerina, Elijah. She'll know where her doppelganger has decided to flee, and in return, I won't extend her death through decades." Klaus had no intention of justifying Caroline to his brother, now or ever.

Elijah had eventually acquiesced.

"She's here."

Rebekah huffed and faced the water. Klaus was amused to see she'd tucked the comb of bone that had been given to her so many years ago into her braid. "So you say."

He did. He could feel her. Could almost taste Caroline's blood on his tongue, with the waves so close. Anticipation coiled at knowing he'd finally see his Undine in her full glory. She'd given him such tantalizing hints, had let him watch her come apart with the ocean in her eyes, had sank those wicked teeth into his shoulder for her taste of him. But he wanted this, the truth of her.

Klaus grinned and sauntered past Rebekah. "Your jealousy is showing, sister."

Rebekah scowled, but her gaze turned wary as she looked across the water. "How many do you think have slipped through the veil?"

"That will be dealt with shortly and won't matter by dawn," Klaus reminded her as he walked towards their guests. The pale, frightened visage of the Bennett witch who still had his blood flecked on her lips delighted him. He smoothed a hand down her hair, just to see her pupils widen, breath shuddering in her throat. The threat of being turned had kept her docile, but Klaus was willing to bet once the veil was returned, that Bonnie Bennett's death would be far more difficult than even Silas' fate.

He was looking forward to it.

Glancing at the position of the sun, he clasped his hands and smiled benevolently at the rest of the entourage. The wild, frightened eyes of the Gilbert Doppelganger, the eldest Salvatore and Stefan. Broken. Shivering. Stefan flinched at each gentle motion of the water and Klaus couldn't have been more pleased.

"I believe it is time." Klaus cheerfully motioned towards the sturdy coffin that had been dragged to the beach. "We have a gift to deliver."

The Bennett witch stood slowly, and Klaus felt her magic as she unlocked the coffin. He was only a little disappointed when she merely sat again, exhausted and nearly broken.

Pity that fire had gone out so easily.

But he had a much more entertaining creature to taunt. Silas was taut with strain, cheeks flushed with fury and it was so utterly amusing that Silas wore the face of his once friend. It was almost like killing Stefan twice.

"Silas, Silas, Silas," Klaus taunted, hands clasped behind his back as he walked forward. "How do you like the accommodations? Beautiful, is it not? Yet, this island you shall it escape so easily."

"I will enjoy making you suffer," Silas ground out.

"Come now, I gave you a moment to see her, did I not? Now Amara is at peace, in a place you will never follow. Fitting, after your followers killed my brother."

Silas smiled at him, with white teeth and Klaus could see him struggling to break the spells holding him. "These invisible chains won't hold me much longer; I'll destroy everything you ever held dear, I'll bled your precious family dry and lock you into _hell_. Your father won't have caused you an iota of the suffering I'll wrought."

Rebekah rolled her eyes at the dramatics. Her lips parted but she suddenly froze, eyes going wide. Awareness stroked down his spine and Klaus' smile widened.

Caroline had decided to join them.

"Ah, but I don't need the spells to hold you," Klaus said with a biting smile. "Someone else wishes to deal with you, and far be it for me to disappoint."

Turning, he followed Rebekah's line of sight. For a moment, all he saw was the blue green water of the lagoon, and then there was movement beneath the waves. He ignored the sounds of Elijah approaching, ignored the way he could feel Silas nearly breaking free.

There.

A flicker of sunlight against a fin. The multifaceted reflection of scales in sunlight as a serpentine movement broke water. Just a hint of blond curls.

Pulse speeding up, his lips curled upward as the crown of Caroline's golden hair broke the surface. There were ropes of pearls interlaced with bone tangled in the length of her hair, her ears threaded with those lovely earrings she preferred. All the pale, smooth skin he explored thoroughly was now coated in color, as her flesh shifted to scales. She moved forward into the shallows, so that Klaus could see where the scales deepened, the end of her powerful tail slipping through the water behind her.

Naked, feral, she was magnificent.

But it was her eyes that entranced him.

Large, without pupil, here they reflected the brilliant blue-green of the lagoon around her. She smiled, and her monsters teeth jolted a sharp wave of arousal through him, remembering the strength of her bite.

"No," Silas breathed out. "Undine are but _myth_."

Klaus didn't look away from the vision of his lover, tongue snaking across his lips as he tried to decide how best to paint her. "How fortunate for me and mine, that is simply not the case. However, I have it on good authority that this particular Undine is _hungry_."

Silas staggered free of his bonds, cursing. "Not even you can be foolish enough to give a myth power, Mikaelson."

Caroline's smile widened.

Then she started to sing.

Rebekah jerked next to him, at the sound of Caroline's voice filling the air. Magic tugged playfully at his skin - _mine, mine, mine_ \- and Klaus shivered, cock hardening at the feel of her. But her eyes were locked on Silas, arms lifting as she beckoned him into the warm waters.

Silas fought it, body shuddering as he struggled against the purity of Caroline's voice, the sweet entreaty of her arms. He yelled, calling on his magic, fists clenched tightly as he fought. The air trembled, and Klaus watched Elijah stumble. The Bennett witch was hunched over and crying, but sea magic clung to him and Rebekah, blunting the impact.

"I will not be prey!" Silas cried hands covering his ears, and _how_ the water churned around Caroline. Her gaze never wavered, her voice never faltered, and Klaus could almost see her magic tugging at Silas.

He did see the moment the immortal broke. Once Silas took that first, stumbling step towards the water, Klaus knew Caroline had won. Like a drunkard, Silas slowly shambled his way towards the singing Undine. The moment he touched the water, Silas went to his knees. Caroline reached out and offered her palms, and hands shaking, Silas allowed her to slowly tug him deeper.

They were nearly neck deep when she struck, the wicked teeth and powerful jaw locking onto Silas throat, the length of tail coiling tightly around him as she dragged Silas under. The water boiled as they wrestled, turning red, then pink as disturbance smoothed out. Eventually even the shadows disappeared from beneath the water as Caroline dragged her prey deeper beneath the waves.

"Now what?" Rebekah breathed, breaking the silence that had settled over the island.

Reluctantly, Klaus looked away from the water.

"Now we put the veil back up."

Bonnie Bennett went even whiter, lips nearly colorless. "I can't. There isn't an anchor."

Klaus clasped his hands behind his back and smiled. "Ah, but that isn't the case, is it? I've consulted several witches, and even the pretty Undine who is even now torturing Silas is in agreement. We have everything we need to return the veil. A Bennett witch and a doppelganger."

Rebekah looked at them with a crushing smile. "Before she died, Amara confessed the terrible pain she's suffered these past millennia. A perfect fate for her doppelganger don't you think?"

The witch looked horrified. "You can't…"

Klaus crouched, let his eyes go feral. Deliberately stroked the witches cheek, smiling wider when she jerked. "That is where you are wrong. I can do whatever I want. The veil must go back up and it must have an anchor. Don't worry. She'll be kept perfectly safe. No one will ever find her. The balance will be restored, the spirits will return to their nattering and you can enjoy what's left of your life knowing you did the right thing."

"There has to be another way," Bonnie whispered.

Rebekah laughed. "There isn't. Even now those vengeful spirits are on their way, no doubt called by Silas. Think off all the innocents they'll kill. Do you want that on your conscious?"

Klaus did so enjoy watching hope die. The muffled sobs of the doppleganger were even more lovely. He glanced at her and smiled. "You shouldn't have defied me."

Elijah stepped into his line of sight. "We'll have company."

"I imagine we will," Klaus said with a shrug as he stood. "But if our delightful parents think to find easy prey, they will be surprised. This island is most inhospitable to those who threaten what belongs to a certain Undine."

Dark eyes narrowed, Elijah merely nodded. "I will prepare the ritual."

Klaus slapped his brother on the shoulder. "Excellent. Bekah, dear, do keep the girls company. I'd hate for them to get any thoughts of escape."

"And what will you do?"

"It appears the first of our uninvited guests will be arriving shortly. I plan on reintroducing myself, as it were."

And to watch, for his Undine.

* * *

When dawn broke, the world had righted itself.

The island smelled of blood and death, the shallows teaming with greedy sharks feasting on bodies tossed into the water.

The Gilbert Doppleganger was trapped in stone, and Bonnie Bennett awaited an Undine's judgement. Mikael and Esther hadn't made it to shore, and Klaus wondered what Caroline had done. Regardless, he'd several thoughts on how best to show his appreciation.

As for the Salvatores, neither would make it off the island. He was looking forward, to see what fate Caroline intended for their bones. She was as vicious as she was possessive, and he loved the way she thought.

"Do you see her yet?" Rebekah demanded. "She says dawn."

Klaus glanced across the waves. For a moment, all he could make out was the bright rays on the water and the shadows of the sharks. A sudden scurry, as several creatures fled and he saw the first glint of dark gold. Nodding his head, dimples bracketing his triumphant smile, Klaus called for Elijah.

For walking out of the shallows, her flesh more human than Undine was Caroline.

And behind her, laughing uproariously, was Kol.

* * *

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